Using video cameras to film nature in your garden

BBC Midlands Today viewers have sent in their very own Springwatch photos

As this gallery of your nature photos shows getting a great wildlife picture is no longer solely the preserve of the professional.

Even a phone has a decent enough camera to get some nice looking nature shots these days.

But it's not just still photography where the technology is changing fast.

Amazingly the sort of wildlife camera set-up that was once the preserve of a big budget show like Springwatch is now within the reach of many people.

I've been out to meet Dave Walker, a man who has more than 25 video cameras scattered throughout his Worcestershire garden - inside nest boxes, trained on badger setts, even operated by remote control and scanning the whole garden.

All that information pours into a central hub, with three large monitors for all the various video feeds. The best images can be found on their website.

Motion-controlled cameras

The woman responsible for the technical side of things is Kate MacRae, (or Wildlife Kate as Springwatch viewers may know her).

She's wired her own Lichfield garden up with lots of cameras too. However, with Dave's garden she was able to start from scratch and the results are amazing. Some of the best footage is included in this blogpost.

As these cameras improve in quality and drop in price Kate has top tips for getting the best out of them.

She says you can use a portable, motion-controlled, "trail camera" to find the best spot for recording wildlife. Then you can hardwire a better camera into that position which allows you to record the action round the clock, rather than in short bursts.

The amazing otter and kingfisher footage are my favourite clips, but have a look and let us know what you think.

And don't forget to email us any clips or pictures you gather yourselves - we'd love to see them.